Nintendo’s Next Console Is In Development, Codenamed NX

Today saw quite an interesting change in Nintendo’s policy regarding mobile game development in their joint partnership with DeNA. One of the worries that has resulted from this is the possibility of Nintendo shying away from dedicated system development in favor of mobile, but another announcement seems to alleviate those fears.

Via the same press conference transcription, President Satoru Iwata stated clearly that Nintendo has not “lost passion or vision for the business of dedicated video game systems”, but sees the mobile space as a viable platform for expanding their IPs.

As proof of this, Iwata confirmed that a new dedicated gaming platform is in development, codenamed “NX”. More information as to what NX is will likely be announced next year. This platform, along with the 3DS, Wii U, mobile devices and PCs will see the Club Nintendo successor mentioned previously.

An interesting point that stands out in this announcement is that the transcription uses the phrase “brand-new concept” with regards to the NX, and not much else to go on. Could this relate to the “Fusion DS” concepts we saw early last year, a merging of a home and portable console? It’s possible, but it’s too early to tell.

The most important thing to take away from this is that Nintendo has always held dedicated game systems as a core business practice since the NES, and that’s not likely to change with this new iteration and policy change. If anything, it makes me a bit more hopeful for Nintendo’s future now that they seem to be catching up to the modern industry.